Eddie Jordan, steeped in Irish golfing culture and a close associate of Paul McGinley, tells Kevin Garside about his role in the captain's Ryder Cup set-up, bringing Victor Dubuisson on board and how Gleneagles next week will beat any thrill in F1

Every man is entitled to a lucky charm, and few would argue that Eddie Jordan is not lucky. He banked millions from the timely sale of his eponymous Formula One team, sails around the world contesting sundry regattas, has homes in Monaco and Wentworth, plays golf off a handicap of 12 and, jammiest of all, is part of the European Ryder Cup inner sanctum, an unseen hand operating in support of his old friend, the captain Paul McGinley.

Jordan’s group The Robbers, with whom he plays percussion, will be the house band for this year’s cup, playing to guests at Gleneagles on Thursday and Friday. More than that, Jordan is part of the fabric of McGinley’s private team. The families are intimately connected not only through their personal friendship but that of their wives, Marie and Ally.

Indeed, the Jordans are steeped in the culture of Irish golfing society. Marie won the East of Ireland mixed foursomes with Rory McIlroy’s caddie J P Fitzgerald and is a former ladies captain at Sunningdale. Jordan’s parents were also captains at their local club, Bray, in Dublin. Jordan claims he was off five as a kid and famously caddied for McGinley at the 2005 BMW Open in Germany.

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To complete the association, Jordan’s daughter Zoë, a fashion designer of growing repute, had significant input in the design of the WAG wardrobe for next week.

“I’m there for anything Paul wants. There might be something needs organising behind the scenes, something needs doing, someone needs looking after, that kind of thing. I’m a mate, nothing more, and mates like to help if they can, don’t they?” Jordan said.

“I know most of the team. Rory has stayed with us at Wentworth. My daughter and Rory are great mates. On the Saturday night at this year’s BMW Championship he came around for curry with JP and Shane Lowry and his caddie. It was a great Irish hooley. The next day he came from seven back to win it and Shane came from six back to finish second. They have been ringing up ever since asking Marie for the recipe.”

Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide

Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide

1/23
Europe:
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

Age: 25

Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)

Record: Won 4 Lost 3 Halved 2

Majors: 4 (2011 US Open, 2012 US PGA, 2014 Open, 2014 US PGA)

McIlroy finished top of both qualifying lists by a massive margin thanks to a brilliant season which saw him win the BMW PGA Championship in May and then record three victories in succession in the Open Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship. Famously described the Ryder Cup as "an exhibition" the year before making his debut in 2010, but has changed his opinion since the narrow victories at Celtic Manor and Medinah, where he beat Keegan Bradley in the singles despite only arriving at the course with minutes to spare.

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2/23
Henrik Stenson (Sweden)

Age: 38

Caps: 2 (2006, 2008)

Record: W2 L3 H2

Majors: 0

Effectively sealed his place on the team in November last year when he won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season. Has unsurprisingly struggled to reach the same heights in 2014 but was fourth in the US Open and third in the US PGA Championship, where he shared the lead on the back nine in the final round before a costly three-putt bogey on the 14th. Played in the record-equalling victory in 2006 but also Europe's last defeat in 2008.

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3/23
Victor Dubuisson (France)

Age: 24

Caps: 0

Majors: 0

Won his first European Tour title in Turkey last year and followed that by finishing third behind Stenson in Dubai the following week. Made sure of his place in the team by finishing runner-up in the Accenture Match Play in February, producing some miraculous recovery shots in the final against Jason Day. An enigmatic figure who played in the junior Ryder Cup in 2006.

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4/23
Jamie Donaldson (Wales)

Age: 38

Caps: 0

Majors: 0

Secured his place on the team in style by winning the penultimate counting event, the Czech Masters, for his third European Tour title. Took a long time to break into the winner's circle at the Irish Open in 2012 but then won in Abu Dhabi the following year and was second in both the Nedbank Golf Challenge and WGC-Cadillac Championship.

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5/23
Sergio Garcia (Spain)

Age: 34

Caps: 6 (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012)

Record: W16 L8 H4

Majors: 0

A talismanic figure for Europe, so much so that he was brought in as a vice-captain by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 despite becoming disenchanted with golf and taking a two-month break from playing. Won a crucial point alongside Luke Donald in the Saturday fourballs at Medinah and then beat Jim Furyk on the 18th in the singles. Has turned his previously weak putting into an asset and finished second to McIlroy at both the Open and Bridgestone Invitational.

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6/23
Justin Rose (England)

Age: 34

Caps: 2 (2008, 2012)

Record: W6 L3 H0

Majors: 1 (2013 US Open)

Played all five matches at Medinah and birdied the final two holes to beat Phil Mickelson in the singles. Claimed his first major title the following year in the US Open at Merion - again denying Mickelson - and won back-to-back titles for the first time in his career in the Quicken Loans National and Scottish Openearlier this season.

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7/23
Martin Kaymer (Germany)

Age: 29

Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)

Record: W3 L2 H1

Majors: 2 (2010 US PGA, 2014 US Open)

Admitted his form was so poor that he would not have picked himself for the team two years ago, but qualified automatically and ended up securing the point which ensured Europe would retain the trophy with victory over Steve Stricker. Won both the Players Championship and US Open by leading from start to finish in 2014, equalling the lowest halfway total in major championship history with consecutive rounds of 65 at Pinehurst.

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8/23
Thomas Bjorn (Denmark)

Age: 43

Caps: 2 (1997, 2002)

Record: W3 L2 H1

Majors: 0

Has not played in the biennial contest since 2002 but brings vast experience to the side after acting as vice-captain in 2004, 2010 and 2012. Victory in the lucrative Nedbank Golf Challenge at the end of 2013 was the catalyst for his return to the side, which was sealed by finishing fourth on home soil in the inaugural Made in Denmark event.

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9/23
Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland)

Age: 35

Caps: 3 (2008, 2010, 2012)

Record: W5 L5 H2

Majors: 1 (2010 US Open)

Held on to the final automatic qualifying place by 1.61 points after Stephen Gallacher was unable to finish in the top two in the last qualifying event in Italy. Claimed the winning point with victory over Hunter Mahan in the final singles match at Celtic Manor in 2010, three months after winning the US Openat Pebble Beach. One of just three European players to lose in the singles at Medinah.

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10/23
Stephen Gallacher (Scotland)

Age: 39

Caps: 0

Majors: 0

Successfully defended his Dubai Desert Classic title at the start of February but came into the final qualifying event needing to win or finish joint second with just one other player to dislodge Graeme McDowell from the side. Started the second round 15 shots off the lead and after six holes was outside the projected cut mark, but stormed home in 30 for a 65 and shot 65 in the final round as well, missing out on joint second by a single shot.

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11/23
Ian Poulter (England)

Age: 38

Caps: 4 (2004, 2008, 2010, 2012)

Record: W12 L3 H0

Majors: 0

Has earned the nickname of 'Mr Ryder Cup' and it is not difficult to see why. Has twice needed a wild card, including in 2012, but has raised his game on every occasion and none more so than at Medinah. Won all four of his matches and famously birdied the last five holes alongside Rory McIlroy to beat Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson in the Saturday fourballs, after which he told his team-mates 'We have a pulse.' Also beat Webb Simpson in the singles to take his record to 12 wins from 15 matches.

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12/23
Lee Westwood (England)

Age: 41

Caps: 8 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)

Record: W18 L13 H6

Majors: 0

Finished seventh in the Masters in April and won in Malaysia the following week, but suffered a slump in form until a final round of 63 in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August. The 41-year-old also shared the lead after the first round of the US PGA Championship before finishing 15th, but failed to advance after the first FedEx Cup play-off event. Boasts vast experience with eight consecutive appearances since making his debut in 1997.

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13/23
USA:
Bubba Watson

Age: 35

Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)

Record: Won 3 Lost 5 Halved 0

Majors: 2 (Masters 2012, 2014)

Effectively secured his place on the team with his second Masters title at Augusta in April having already won the Northern Trust Open earlier in the season. Played in the narrow defeats in 2010 and 2012, losing the opening singles match to Luke Donald at Medinah.

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14/23
Rickie Fowler

Age: 25

Caps: 1 (2010)

Record: W0 L1 H2

Majors: 0

Has won just one PGA Tour event in his career but compiled an impressive record in major championships in 2014, finishing joint fifth in the Masters, joint second in both the US Open and Open Championship and joint third in the US PGA. "This is the first one that hurts," he said after a costly bogey late in the final round at Valhalla.

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15/23
Jim Furyk

Age: 44

Caps: 8 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)

Record: W9 L17 H4

Majors: 1 (US Open 2003)

Has not won a PGA Tour event since 2010 but recorded seven top-10 finishes this season, including a fourth place in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Another player with a point to prove after Medinah, where he bogeyed the last two holes to lose his crucial singles match to Sergio Garcia.

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16/23
Jimmy Walker

Age: 35

Caps: 0

Majors: 0

Won his first PGA Tour title in his 188th start and claimed two more victories in his next seven events to secure a Ryder Cup debut by February. Also recorded top-10 finishes in the Masters and US Open.

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17/23
Phil Mickelson

Age: 44

Caps: 9 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)

Record: W14 L18 H6

Majors: 5 (Masters 2004, 2006, 2010, US PGA 2005, Open 2013)

Already the record holder with nine appearances, Mickelson also reached an unwanted record at Celtic Manor, accumulating the most defeats against Europe. Was determined to maintain proud record of qualifying automatically for each team and did so by finishing second to Rory McIlroy in the US PGA Championship.

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18/23
Matt Kuchar

Age: 36

Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)

Record: W3 L2 H2

Majors: 0

Former US Amateur champion topped the PGA Tour money list in 2010 and combined with Gary Woodland in 2011 to give the United States their first World Cup victory since 2000. Was fifth in this year's Masters and won his seventh PGA Tour title the following week in the RBC Heritage.

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19/23
Jordan Spieth

Age: 21

Caps: 0

Majors: 0

Shot to fame by winning the 2013 John Deere Classic at the age of 19, becoming the first teenage winner on the PGA Tour since 1931. Held a two-shot lead after seven holes in the final round of this year's Masters, but eventually finished second behind Watson.

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20/23
Patrick Reed

Age: 24

Caps: 0

Majors: 0

Caused controversy after his victory in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral - his second win of the season - by claiming he was one of the top five players in the world. Missed the cut in four of his next six events but finished fourth in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to effectively secure his place.

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21/23
Zach Johnson

Age: 38

Caps: 3 (2006, 2010, 2012)

Record: W6 L4 H1

Majors: 1 (Masters 2007)

Won his 11th PGA Tour title in Hawaii in January and recorded five other top-10 finishes in a consistent season. Won two of his three matches with Jason Dufner in 2012 and was only denied a 100 per cent record by a sensational performance from Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy in the Saturday fourballs. Beat Graeme McDowell in the singles, one of just three American wins that day.

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22/23
Hunter Mahan

Age: 32

Caps: 2 (2008, 2010)

Record: W3 L2 H3

Majors: 0

Went unbeaten on the winning side at Valhalla in 2008, claiming three and a half points from five matches, but is best remembered for losing the vital final singles match to Graeme McDowell at Celtic Manor two years later. Comes into the event in form after winning the first FedEx Cup play-off event and finishing seventh in the US PGA Championship.

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23/23
Webb Simpson

Age: 29

Caps: 1 (2012)

Record: W2 L2 H0

Majors: 1 (US Open 2012)

Picked by Tom Watson on the strength of his two resounding fourball wins alongside Bubba Watson at Medinah, the pair defeating Paul Lawrie and Peter Hanson and Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari 5&4. Lost his singles match to Ian Poulter but comes into this year's contest in decent form with two top-10 finishes in his last three events.

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Jordan has already proved himself invaluable, hosting a dinner on a yacht in Monaco to enable McGinley to get to know better the enigmatic Victor Dubuisson, the talented French rookie who stunned the game by winning the WGC-Accenture Match Play in February to all but ensure automatic qualification for the European team.

Jordan claims to be the author of Dubuisson’s nickname, D’Artagnan. If that is a bit of a stretch, his talent as a host is beyond question. “Paul came down to Monaco. He asked me to set up a dinner. It was an opportunity to get to know Victor better. Victor came with a mate, Paul came with Ally, there was myself and Marie and a few others.

“I had not met Victor before but there wasn’t anything he could not tell me about Jordan. He is a motor racing fanatic. He has real style. He brought with him one of the most expensive Bordeaux wines money can buy, that will tell you it was a Rothschild. Let me tell you he will be a big thing in this Ryder Cup, maybe a surprise for a lot of people. He is very much his own man, a fantastic character, and he won’t be overawed.”

Supremo Bernie Ecclestone speaks with Eddie Jordan

Jordan was already a successful Formula One team owner when McGinley rerouted via a serious knee injury from Gaelic football to golf. Their Dublin connectivity and shared golfing background brought them into each other’s orbit despite the 19 years between them.

“I played golf all my life. I was brought up on the game. I play off 12 just now but as a teenager I was off five or six. Golf in Ireland is not like it is in some other countries where it is considered upper-class and snooty. You can see that with the likes of Darren, Paul, Harrington, Rory, Des Smyth, Christy O’Connor Snr and Jnr, ordinary guys from normal families.”

Among his mementos from a career at sport’s high table Jordan reserves a special place for the card and yardage book he used to guide McGinley around Munich. “It was not so much about pulling clubs. That is the least of it. Paul was like a lot of golfers who don’t have quite the ruthless mentality you see in F1, where everybody thinks he is going to win even though only one can. I like to think I helped a little in that direction that week.”

Jordan has a raft of golden memories of Ryder Cup experiences. He rates McGinley’s winning putt in 2002 among his most treasured. “Under pressure to win the cup as a rookie, that putt across the green, the fall of the putt etc. I just thought it was a magic moment to win the cup and no better person to do it. Everybody wished that ball in.

“Christy O’Connor at The Belfry, that 2-iron to the green was another great memory, Seve from under the tree at Valderrama. Darren at The K Club was a hugely emotional affair. It captured the attention of not just Ireland but the whole of golf. I was there applauding them on to the tee box at the start. Four years ago I stayed at Celtic Manor. I have known some magical moments with Jordan in F1, but the Ryder Cup is special on its own terms, a unique event in sport.”

Despite his chaotic demeanour and often comic output, there is a serious side to Jordan that commands respect, as a leader and a judge of talent. He put a young Ayrton Senna in a Formula Three car at Macau in 1983 and eight years later gave Michael Schumacher his start in Formula One at Spa. So his view on McGinley’s qualities as captain might be worth noting.

“Alain Prost was a great driver, not so successful as a team boss. You can’t assume that being a brilliant driver will automatically make you a brilliant leader. The same with golf. I know much is being made of Tom Watson’s qualities and his career as an all-time great. Paul can’t boast that. He doesn’t need to. Paul is very laid-back, very thoughtful, very caring but, by God, when he wants something to happen it will happen. In his own quiet manner he gets things done. I have no doubt he will prove a great captain of this team.”